Israel update #3- in progress

(TBC still means to be continued)

9/5/07
8:30am TLV 1:30am BOS
Breakfast- eggs, olive and cheese pizza, chocolate pudding, and this wonderful mango juice.
Boat ride of Sea of Galilee: It's beautiful! lots of HOTT sun-I'm gonna burn because I'm dumb and forget my suntan lotion. Oh well- it'll only be my face and arms.... haha just kidding, I asked over the PA system on the boat and someone let me use some lotion. I'm all good now :)
-just saw a man in a kayack with his dog!- cute! made me think of Chris
-oh gross, they are putting an American Flag on the mast of our boat--- is this really a good idea? Won't we get attacked? I hate the way it looks up there with the Israeli flag. Now we are singing the Star Spangled Banner. Or, well, THEY are, I'm respectfully observing my right to refuse. Ugh X 1000000000. Seriously. This is not America. We are not in America, we do not eat McDonalds here. This is Israel. We eat falafel here! Shouldn't we be Christian first and then American? I think so! Why is it so important to have an American identity?
-better music now playing- God of Wonders. mmm i love it! especially on this boat on THE sea of galilee. .. this is where Jesus walked on water.
-boat gude is telling us history of the area: The city of Tiberias was founded my Herod Antipas in the 1st century AD. It was a pagan city, full of gentiles. Other cities around the sea that we can see: Magdala (where Mary Magdalene was from), Capernaum (where Jesus lived during his ministry), Bethsida (where miraculous healings and feedings were done by Jesus), and Godera in the Golan Hts (where Jesus healed a demon possessed man). Herod Antipas ruled the west (Tiberius, etc) and Herod Phillipus ruled the East (Golan Hts). Phillipus was more tolerant of Jesus so Jesus often went there. He would take a boat on this sea from Capernaum to Godera, but would have to pay taxes once crossing the border of the kingdoms (story of Jesus taking coin out of fish- give to Caesar what is Caesar's).
About the sea: (its really a lake) it is 40 miles long, 7 miles wide, and 120 feet deep. Not too big, but it provides, 40% of Israel's freshwater by pumping out water to irrigate the desert in the south. It is Israel's only freshwater lake and is very important. Everyday, Israeli newspapers will post what the level is in the Sea. The Sea is created by snow melting off the mountains, forming springs (like Dan and Panius), which form the river Jordan.
-now they are playing Open the Eyes of my Heart and some Jewish songs.
Wow, I am on the sea of Galilee, where Jesus did like everything! Do I really believe Jesus actually walked on water right here? I honestly don't know.
Jesus Boat: We got off the boat to go The Ancient Galilee Boat exhibit at the Yigol Allon Centre. in 1986, two men found an ancient fishing boat in the sea of galilee during a drought season. With the help of many experts they got it safely out of the water (using polyeurathane) and it now lies preserved in a museum. While no one knows whose boat this is, it is definitely from Jesus' time, and it is definitely just like one Jesus would have sailed in, which is so cool to think about. It's made of 12 different times of wood from trees... and is just very different looking than I would have ever expected. A great picture in my mind now for all the story of Jesus in his boat.
Capernaum: ancient ruins of the town where Jesus moved to when he left Nazareth. We saw the foundation of the synagogue in Capernaum, and of Peter's house where he lived with his in-laws. On top of the synagogue ruins is a church that was built in 400 AD. On top of Peter's house are the remains of several different layers of churches. The ruins also included foundations of houses and tons of artifacts, like an olive press.
Jesus came to Capernaum for several reasons: to fulfill prophecy in Isaiah (Mt 4), the Jewish presence (this was a Jewish town, as seen my the synagogue, mikvah and menorah found in ruins), this was a more populated town on the international highway (Nazareth was too poor to even have a Roman solider stationed to collect taxes, however Capernaum was not a poor town and had tax collectors (Levi), and there were Gentiles in proximity (Jesus came to preach good news to Gentiles too.) Merchants who traveled would take stories of Jesus with them to other towns, Jewish and Gentiles. [by the way, the thermometer in the shade here said it was 99 degrees outside! ahhh!!]
Mt of Beatitudes: The Church of the Beatitudes is somewhere near the possible location of where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. All we know is that Jesus preached it outside of the ubran environment, but we have no idea where in the countryside exactly. Our tout guide made a nice comment: the bible is not written as a historical book. For the West, the time and place are important, but for the east, the event itself is important. So in the 1930's, the Catholics built this church, with an octogonal shape (8 sides for the 8 beatitudes), with a beautiful garden and green grass (which you see nowhere else in Israel). Interesting fact: Mussolini gave money to fund the building of this church. Our tour guide made this comment that it is interesting that Mussolini killed lots of people on one hand and on the other he tried to buy his way into heaven. The guy sitting behind me said, "Sounds like the Muslims!" OOOOOOOOH that made me so angry... he completely generalized an entire group of people... when there were PLENTY of Christians in history, and even some today, who do THE SAME THING!!! Luckily our tour guide is more sensitive that this other guy, so he said, "Well there are lots of group of people who do this" and then went on to the next subject. But ooooh I was angry!
Dan: went on a very nice hike the Tel Dan Nature Reserve, saw the Spring of Dan which feeds the Jordan River which feeds the Sea of Galilee. Then we arrived at the ruins of the city of Dan, which was created by King Jeroboam as a border town to Phoenicia in the Northern Kingdom of Israel. (1 Kings 12) Jeroboam changed the religion of Israel. He made anyone priests (traditionally only Levites could be priests), he constructed golden calves and an alter and shrines in Dan for sacrifice (traditionally only sacrifice could be done in the Temple in Jerusalem) [note on sacrifices: animals sacrificed in many different ways- the complete burning of the animal is called holocaust] Jeroboam also celebrated festivals differently. He made the God of Israel a territorial God. In 722 BC, the country was destroyed. The 10 tribes of Israel that were living in the Northern Kingdom were lost, mixed, etc... so the two remaining tribes are Levi and Judah. [Jesus calling 12 disciples : reference to the restoration of Israel's 12 tribes].
Then we saw the Gate to a Canaanite City called Laish, which was built around 1800 BC, before the tribe of Dan moved in[Judges 18:27-29] . The Gate is made of mud-bricks (straw and mud mixed by hand and set out to dry), and amazingly some of the bricks are still well defined! This city is the near where Lot lived after he and Abraham went their separate ways and is where Abraham looked for him after he was captured. (Genesis 12-14).
Then we saw the Gate to the City of Dan, which was built in 800 BC. Samson, the most famous judge of Dan, was constantly fighting Philistines. After the fighting, the tribe wanted to move out, so they sent spies seeking land, and they came all the want to the outskirts of the country and created the city of Dan.
This was all way before Jesus' times... which makes everything here REALLY OLD! :)
Caesarea Phillipi: This is where Jesus said: Who do people say that I am? This city is not a part of Galilee controlled by Herod Antipas who did not like Jesus, but is a part of Golon Heights, so Jesus and his disciples often escaped on retreat here for safety (especially since he was speaking about being the Son of Man!).
Here at the city, there are remains of pagan temples, worshipping Pan, Zeus, Nemesis (the goddess of revenge), and dancing goats.
Bethsaida: TBC
Dinner, I had lamb kabob--- mmm sooo good... I really like lamb here... much better than when I've had it in the states. Maybe the lamb I've had had different spices in it because it was greek. Well Israeli lamb is the best. Also had spanish rice, potatoes, lentil soup, and assorted little dessert cake things... and another native peach. The food here really is amazing.
Tonight after dinner, a girl and I fed some stray cats. And my some stray cats, I mean like 6... they are seriously everywhere.
And they were so cute!! But it was SOO sad... they were crying and rubbing my legs for more food and fighting with eachother for the food I gave to them. Apparently though this hotel spays them, which is good, and keeps them on the property to kill mice. But they dont feed them, so the cats will actually kill the mice.
Ps: I just want to say that I am kinda moron.... so i come into my hotel room tonight, and its very hot. so i turn on the AC. I did the same thing last night and in the middle of the night... and all THREE times... I put the AC in HI, thinking that HI means lots of AC, while LO would be not a lot of AC.... kinda like in a car I guess. But like I figured out the previous two times... LO in fact means a LOWER temperature of AC and HI means a HIGHER temperature.... and if it is HOT in here I should in fact put the AC on LO. oh Jamie. what am i gonna do with you.
PPS: OMG OMG EWWWW>>> it's 10:50pm and I am finishing typing in the bedroom when this HUGE cockroach bug crawls into my room!! it is soooo huge!!! I noticed a bunch of ants earlier, but w/e they are just ants... but a cockroach... this is WAY too much for me... I dunno if I am going to be able to sleep now. It was SOOOO gross. I'm pretty sure they dont bite... but I definitely do NOT want that thing crawling on me. Maybe I'll go down to the lobby. Yes, I think I will. So I went and they told me there is cockroach spray under the sink. and there is. So i spray half the bottle in the kitchen area where it was. And I'm keeping the bottle with me so further attacks. And I am now officially freaked out.
Ok just now i saw it crawl by my closet. Hopefully it is the same one I saw earlier. I spray it until it dies... which actually takes a really long time. Now my room smells like cockroach spray. When it finally dies, I take a hotel towel and pick it up and put it outside. It was SOOOO BIG!!! It reminded me of these South American ones that my friend Kjirsten had as pets. Though this one was much fatter. IT IS DISGUSTING!! I guess I am finally getting my taste of Israel. ugh. I just wish it could be in another way! I guess I'm really not prepared to be away from my comfort zone. I am so creeped out... and I keep feeling crawling on my legs and the smell of the spray is nauseating. I just did NOT want to hear it crunch... so I sprayed it to death. Sadly, I feel no remorse. I really have a lot of respect for the Jains. I just dont know how they do it. I mean, I love most animals and really try to respect nature.... but mosquitos? and flies? and cockroaches??? The Jains are truly holy people.